Latest news with #AirNZ
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Dunedin to get winter flights boost
On the Auckland-Dunedin route 46 flights will be upgraded from Airbus A320 planes (pictured) to the bigger A321 planes. Air New Zealand is using bigger planes to boost seat numbers between Dunedin and Auckland - for a limited time. The airline is also adding thousands of seats to its Auckland to Queenstown route, including one new flight. The four-month capacity increase will be in place between June 28 and October 25 to cater to "strong seasonal demand", Air New Zealand said in a statement. On the Auckland-Dunedin route 46 flights will be upgraded from Airbus A320 planes to the bigger A321 planes, adding 2100 seats. This would help "support key student movement dates and special events, including the All Blacks game in Dunedin on July 5 and Big Sing in August", Air NZ chief commercial officer Jeremy O'Brien said. Between Auckland and Queenstown, 412 flights will get the larger planes and one new flight will be introduced to add 19,400 extra seats. The Auckland-Christchurch route would also be boosted, getting 36 new flights and 14,600 more seats. 'Whether it's getting visitors to Central Otago's ski fields, students to Dunedin's lecture theatres, or whānau home to Christchurch, we're proud to play our part in connecting people and place.' - APL
1News
3 days ago
- Business
- 1News
Two new Airbus A321neo aircraft to join Air NZ fleet
Air New Zealand has welcomed two new Airbus A321neo into its fleet, a move which the airline says will contribute an additional 70,000 seats into its network each year. Both A321neo hold up to 214 passengers, and are configured for flying to Australia and the Pacific Islands. Air New Zealand said the aircraft represents the latest innovation in narrowbody jet technology, offering improved efficiency and additional capacity to the airline's fleet. The first A321neo arrival, ZK-NNH, is due to arrive in New Zealand tomorrow, and enter service in the coming weeks. The second aircraft will enter service in the next few months, the airline said. ADVERTISEMENT An Air New Zealand Airbus A321neo (Source: Air NZ ) Recently, Air New Zealand announced newly retrofitted 787-9 Dreamliners taking to the skies, and a new jet service connecting Hamilton and Christchurch – which it said is all part of the airline's ongoing investment in its network. Air New Zealand chief commercial officer Jeremy O'Brien said the arrival of this new aircraft signals continued momentum for the airline. "These new A321neo are a clear sign we're investing for the future – boosting our international network and delivering more choice for customers. It's about doing what we do best: connecting Kiwi to the world and bringing visitors to our shores. "We're eagerly anticipating getting these aircraft in the skies. We can't wait to share more soon about where they will be flying. Watch this airspace." "Plane spotters and aviation fans can expect a sleek new silhouette on the tarmac – and should keep their eyes on the skies for its arrival at 6.45pm tomorrow, Wednesday 4 June. The second aircraft is due to arrive in Aotearoa in late June." With the latest additions, Air New Zealand said there are now nine A321neo in its fleet.
NZ Herald
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
‘Worked around the clock': Damaged Air NZ jet repaired and back in the air as Australian agency gathers information on airbridge collision
Air NZ engineers have 'worked around the clock' to repair a damaged Boeing 777, which received 'puncture damage' after hitting an airbridge in Australia. The aircraft was back
The Spinoff
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Spinoff
Radical millennial idea: don't raise the age of superannuation eligibility
On the one hand, superannuation is putting huge and increasing pressure on the government's books. On the other hand, if you raise the age of entitlement I will emit a supersonic howl of despair. Prime minister Christopher Luxon was unequivocal when asked on Newstalk ZB last week if National is still committed to raising the age of entitlement for superannuation. 'We have a National Party position, which is that we want to move it to 67,' he said, before surprising listeners with the news that he once ran an airline. 'When I was at Air NZ it was very common for people 67, early 70s, still able to work and keep working, and still doing a good job.' His deputy Nicola Willis gave the same commitment in an interview on Monday with Herald NOW host Ryan Bridge, while adding a caveat. 'If you were to make any change in that area I've always been of the view that you'd have to phase it in over a long period of time,' she said. That period of time, specifically, is 'from one millisecond after the last Boomer dies until the first millennial retires'. National's policy is to gradually lift the age of entitlement for superannuation to 67 starting in 2044, hitting the sweet spot between the former generation shuffling off this mortal coil and the oldest of the latter starting to claim age-restricted universal basic income. On the one hand, it's easy to see why governments feel the urge to rein in superannuation spending. It's forecast to cost $24.7bn in the coming year, dwarfing the amount we pay for more controversial welfare payments such as the Jobseeker benefit or rental supplements for politicians to live in their own houses. That number is projected to rise to $45.3bn, or 21.3% of total tax revenue, by 2037. Superannuation costs more than police, corrections, transport, conservation, the courts, the environment, Māori development and 'women' combined. On the other hand, get absolutely fucked come on man how much shit can people under the age of 40 have shovelled onto them from a great height god damn it christ on a bike argh argh argh no. If you were born after 1980, you're currently on your third or fourth once-in-a-lifetime global financial crisis since entering the workforce. Meanwhile, through your entire working life, New Zealand has been subject to a housing crisis which has driven property ownership rates down to their lowest point in 80 years. As these factual, measurable, events have taken place, younger people have been subjected to a blitzkrieg of media takes from people who bought a house in 1953 for two tuppence and a medium-sized donkey on how they too could be rich if they'd just give up 42-inch flat screen TVs and trips to Bali. Worse, property-owning under-40s routinely advise their less fortunate peers they too can buy a house if they simply employ some hard work, gumption, and $750,000 from their parents. In the circumstances, raising the super age for me and my sadsack peers could feel like a slap in the cheek to someone whose cheek has already been turned into pulp by all the slapping. But those are just emotional reasons. The best argument for raising the super age – that life expectancies are increasing – is looking increasingly tenuous. Average life spans only crept up marginally in the 2020 Census, and in some countries are actually decreasing. Meanwhile, any increase to the age of eligibility for super will hit poorer and disenfranchised people the hardest. Not every millennial is lucky enough to have a job working at Air NZ or sitting in front of the computer watching Toby Manhire research Juggernaut season two. Setting the super age at 67 would mean people in manual labour roles have to spend two more years adding minor injuries to their increasingly malfunctioning bodies before finally collapsing into the arms of a $500 per week government payout. Māori and Pacific people would feel the literal pain. They're more likely to be in labouring jobs, and have life expectancies six to eight years lower than Pākehā. There has to be a better way. The most obvious solution is means testing. But that comes with downsides. The means tested Best Start payment is currently being accessed by just half of estimated eligible people, and nearly a quarter of its cost is being swallowed up in admin. Some premier economists propose liberalising immigration laws instead, allowing an influx of younger workers to support our rich retirees and deliver much-needed economic growth. To take that course, New Zealand would simply have to dispose of xenophobia and zone for rapid housing growth; moves which I'm sure would be taken in good spirits and not result in any roving bands of residents association members firebombing apartment buildings in Mt Eden. Perhaps we could even impose higher taxes to make up the revenue we need to provide for our elderly people. Though a large percentage of wage earnings are currently diverted to the IRD, my research has uncovered another source of wealth called 'capital' which appears to be lightly taxed. Perhaps some of the income generated from this mysterious asset class could be diverted to the greater good. Millennials have spent their formative years selling kidneys to pay rent on a draughty villa and getting bullied by gen Z for admittedly being huge losers. They'll spend the next 20 helping fund their parents' generation's Mediterranean cruises. Surely after that they can have a break? I guess not. Come back to The Spinoff in the year 2045 for my blistering takes on bingo etiquette and how the superannuation age should be lifted in 2070, starting with gen Z and gen alpha.
NZ Herald
08-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Air New Zealand: CEO Greg Foran defends exit from top job amid engine issues
In 2023, Pratt & Whitney said it would need to inspect the quality of 700 engines from Airbus A320neos worldwide after it discovered a 'rare condition' in the powdered metal used to make its turbo-fan engines. Meanwhile, the Rolls-Royce Trent 100 engines on some of the airline's 787 Dreamliners face maintenance backlogs as they are checked for premature wear and weakness. Inspections and potential replacements can take up to 300 days per engine, creating significant operational complexities. 'There will still be some issues that will still be ongoing for the next year and a half,' Foran said. Other initiatives, like its Dreamliner retrofits, continued to make good progress. Foran indicated that the first retrofitted Dreamliner is set to be in the air 'in a week's time'. Air NZ will have seven completed by the end of 2025. New Air NZ aircraft are heading to Boeing's production line and Foran said he was confident that two new 787s would arrive this time next year, with another two likely following by year's end. Foran also referenced the airline's new hangar, opening in October, and the replatforming of 'just about every digital system in the business'. As he plans to hand the reins to his successor in October, Foran is confident his 'run of the relay is about right'. 'I had in the back of my mind I'd probably do five to six years with Air NZ ... there's other things that I'm keen to do,' he said. 'I am a far better leader today than what I was before I took the job. 'Honestly, I would be much better running Walmart US today from what I have learned being at Air New Zealand than when I took that job 11 years ago.' Air New Zealand's engine maintenance challenges Air New Zealand's fleet of Airbusneos and Boeing 787 Dreamliners has been plagued with issues stemming from global maintenance requirements for their Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce engines. The problems have lowered the airline's profit margins and put strain on its capacity, with Foran previously predicting it would be 'another couple of years' before the engine issues subside. 'These are pretty significant stepbacks that fundamentally are beyond are control,' Foran said. In an announcement to the NZX last month, the national carrier said it could not rely on engine maintenance timeframes provided by the manufacturers. 'As a result, current expectations are that 11 aircraft are grounded, despite Air New Zealand securing seven additional leased engines and one further owned spare engine to stabilise the number of grounded narrow-body jets.' The airline was in talks with the manufacturers to establish accurate timeframes for engine returns and is arguing for a suitable level of compensation to offset the losses incurred. 'These discussions continue to be complicated, but Air New Zealand is exploring all possible avenues to ensure a fair outcome.' The airline expected compensation recognised in the second half of the 2025 financial year to be around $35 million to $40m, down from $94m recognised in the first half. While lower fuel prices were helping to buoy any losses, the airline's 'operations remain configured to operate around eight to 10 more jet aircraft than are presently available'. 'Adjusting the business to reflect fewer aircraft in the short term introduces considerable complexity, especially as engines begin returning to service and capacity ramps up again,' it said. Air New Zealand has since projected earnings before tax for the 2025 financial year to be around $150m to $190m.
